Gary Oldman wants to clarify his previous statement about his performance as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter movies as “mediocre,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While at the Cannes Film Festival press conference for his movie Paolo Sorrentino's Parthenope Wednesday, he said he wanted to make sure he didn't offend the fans of his character.
Sirius Black from The Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
“Not to disparage anyone out there who are fans of the Harry Potter films and the character who I think is much beloved … What I meant by that is I think as any artist, actor, painter, you are always hypercritical of your own work,” Oldman began.
“If you're not and you're satisfied with what you're doing, that would be death to me. If I had watched a performance of myself and thought: ‘My God, I’m fantastic in this,' that would be a sad day. My best work is next year,” he continued.
“What I meant by the Harry Potter remark is that there was such secrecy that was shrouded around the novels, they were under lock and key … If I had read the five books and I had seen the arcs of the character, I may have approached it differently. I may have painted in a different color,” the actor added.
He further explained that since there was so much secrecy with the plot of the novels, he wasn't able to read the five books and see his character arc, he may have played Sirius differently.
Gary Oldman explains…
When Oldman started playing the character, all he had was Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban book and how Sirius was portrayed there. “One book in the library of Sirius Black,” he noted.
The actor was in three Harry Potter movies: 2004's Azkaban, 2005's Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire and 2007's Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix. In the final movie, 2011's Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, he appeared as a memory.
Maybe this is just a case of misunderstanding. I don't believe Oldman criticized his fan-favorite character, rather his interpretation of it. Fans can love the character in the book and in the movie; and the actor playing them can find all the faults they can. The fans aren't wrong to love the character, neither is the actor.
The fans' reaction to Oldman's comments is mild compared to how they've called out Miriam Margolyes, who played Professor Pomona Sprout in the movies.
The actress told New Zealand's 1News, “I worry about Harry Potter fans because they should be over that by now. It was 25 years ago, and it's for children. I think it's for children,”
What seems to be confusing to Margolyes is adult fans of the novel series and movie franchise. Another Harry Potter actress, Jessie Cave who played Lavender Brown, said she didn't like that the actress had made that comment.
That didn't deter Margolyes. While she acknowledges that it's a great series and that she's proud to have been a part of that world, “… it was 25 years ago. Grow up!”
Follow Us
Subscribe
